Sealed lighter

ABSTRACT

A lighter, of the type having a tubular fluid and wick container on which a lighter head is slideably mounted, has a plate-like cover on one end of the head, to which is secured a rotatable steel wheel, a cap for the wick-bearing end of the container and a flint carrying tube. The cover is rotatable about the flint tube as pivot from a position in which the cap is aligned with the container to a position uncovering the wick end of the container and in which the wheel is in position for lighting the wick. The cap is internally threaded and the wick end of the container has a neck around the wick which is threaded for engagement within the cap. The cap and neck have mating ground seats thereon so that the container may be rotated to seal the wick end of the container. The other end of the container has a removable stop and closure member. The cover is normally spring biased against the end of the head and has a leg at 90* to the cover normally in engagement with one of two adjacent flat sides of the head, the lineal corner between the flat sides having an arcuate groove in its end adjacent the cover so that the cover can only be rotated when it is withdrawn away from the head to clear the wick-bearing end of the container. Stop means are provided on the container to prevent withdrawal of the container from the head when the cap and container neck are not in engagement.

United States Patent [1 1 Owens [451 Dec. 11, 1973 SEALED LIGHTER [76]Inventor: Thomas M. Owens, Wanakena, NY.

[22] Filed: Nov. 15, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 306,600

2/1936 Austria 431/152 Primary Examiner-Carroll B. Dority, Jr.Att0rneyBruns & Jenney [57] ABSTRACT A lighter, of the type having atubular fluid and wick container on which a lighter head is slideablymounted, has a plate-like cover on one end of the head, to which issecured a rotatable steel wheel, a cap for the wick-bearing end of thecontainer and a flint carrying tube. The cover is rotatable about theflint tube as pivot from a position in which the cap is aligned with thecontainer to a position uncovering the wick end of the container and inwhich the wheel is in position for lighting the wick. The cap isinternally threaded and the wick end of the container has a neck aroundthe wick which is threaded for engagement within the cap. The cap andneck have mating ground seats thereon so that the container may berotated to seal the wick end of the container. The other end of thecontainer has a removable stop and closure member. The cover is normallyspring biased against the end of the head and has a leg at 90 to thecover normally in engagement with one of two adjacent flat sides of thehead, the lineal corner between the flat sides having an arcuate groovein its end adjacent the cover so that the cover can only be rotated whenit is withdrawn away from the head to clear the wickbearing end of thecontainer. Stop means are provided on the container to preventwithdrawal of the container from the head when the cap and containerneck are not in engagement.

2 Claims, 5 Drawing lFigures SEALED LIGHTER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates to a lighter of the type having an igniter headslideable on an elongated tubular wick and fluid container, thecontainer having a threaded neck through which the wick projects and thehead having an internally threaded cap movable from a position in whichthe neck and cap may be threadedly engaged to seal the container to aposition uncovering the wick for ignition.

Lighters having an igniter head slideable on an elongated container areknown as are lighters having a cap for covering and extinguishing thelighted wick. Such flame extinguishing caps, however, have only animperfect seal around the wick so that vapor from the fluid impregnatedwick may escape or, if the lighter is dropped in water or remains in adamp environment, the wick can become wet and non-ignitable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention contemplates a lighter ofthe type having a tubular container on which the igniter head isslideable, the wick projecting from one end of the container through athreaded neck adapted to be engaged within an internally threaded cap.The cap and neck are provided with mating ground seats for providing anabsolute seal for the wick end of the container.

The cap is carried secured on a plate-like cover and a rotatable steelwheel and cooperating flint-carrying tube are also secured to the cover.The flint tube is slideably carried in a bore in the head and acts as apivot so that the cover may be turned, when the cap and container neckare disengaged, from a position in whichthe cap is aligned with thecontainer to a position uncovering the wick and aligning the wheel forigniting the wick.

A stop collar secured to the container is slideable in an appropriatewell in the head so that, when the neck is unscrewed from the cap, thewick is positioned for receiving sparks fr m the flint and wheel and thecontainer cannot be wthdrawn from the head.

The flint tube has the usual flint and flint pressure spring therein,the end of the tube being closed by the usual cap screw. Another shortertube around the flint tube, also engaged by the flint tube closurescrew, and a cover-biasing coil spring are contained in an enlarged borein the head at this end of the flint tube providing for limitedcounterbiased movement of the cover plate away from the head.

The cover plate has a short leg projecting from one end of the coverplate at 90 thereto and adapted to abut one of two adjacent flat sidesof the head. The linear corner between the two flat sides has an arcuategroove at one end adjacent the cover plate so that the cover plate canbe rotated from one of its positions to the other only when the coverplate is withdrawn away from the head. This ensures that the cap israised to clear the wick and its surrounding neck when the cover plateis rotated and the short leg locks the cover plate its selected positionwhen the plate is returned to its position against the head end by itsbiasing spring.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a side elevational view,partly in section, of

I a lighter according to the invention in carrying position;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view, partly. in section, of the lighter ofFIG. 1 in position for use:

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the lighter rotatedfrom the position shown in FIG. 1 and with the cover open for lightingthe wick;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 with the cover closed for carrying;and I FIG. 5 is an end view of the lighter as shown in FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, thelighter 10 is of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,477,385 toMayfield issued July 26, 1949, having an elongated tubular fluid andwick container 11 and a lighter body or head 12 slideable back and forthon tubular container 11.

Container 11 is closed at one end by a threaded closure and stop member13 and closed at the other end by a tubular wick holder 14 for wick 15,the wick holder being secured within the container end by brazing orotherwise. The wick end of the container has a stop collar 16 securedthereon, as shown, by brazing or otherwise, which is slideable in a well17 in head 12.

The end 18 of wick holder 14 which projects from container 11 isthreaded and an L-shaped head cover 19 carries secured thereon aninternally threaded closure or cap 20 so that the end 18 of the wickholder may be screwed into engagement with cap 20 when cover 19 is inthe position shown in FIG. 1. Both the end 18 of the wick holder andcontainer and the inner end of cap 20 are provided with matinggroundseats at 21 (FIG. 1) so that, when container 11 is screwed intothe cap 20, the interior of the container becomes a sealed compartmentabsolutely water and vapor tight.

Container 11 is provided conventionally with floss 22 to absorb lighterfluid and the wick 15 extends down into the floss to keep the wicksaturated at all times. The other closed end of container 11 may befilled with liquid lighter fluid 23, as shown in FIG. 2.

Cover 19 has a wheel support 24 secured thereon and the usual steelwheel 25 is rotatably secured on the support. A flint tube 26 is securedat one end to head cover 19, the flint 27 being adapted to protrudetherefrom in contact with wheel 25. The other end of tube 26 is closedby the usual screw 28 threaded therein and a flint pressure spring 29extends from the flint to screw 28.

Surrounding the flint tube 26 and engaged by the head of screw 28 is ashort tubular collar 30 engaging one end of a coil biasing-spring 31around tube 26. Spring 31 and collar 30 lie in an enlarged bore 32 inthe head around tube 26 forming a shoulder at 33 (FIG. 1) against whichthe inner end of spring 31 is engaged.

Tube 26 is rotatable in head 12 and spring 31 may be compressed so thatcover 19 may be withdrawn away from the head and rotated on tube 26 as apivot 90 from the position shown in FIG. 1 to the position shown inFIGS. 3 and 5. By withdrawing; cover 19, after unscrewing container 11,cap 20 is clear of wick l5 and, by rotating the cover, wheel 25 isturned to its wicklighting position. In this position, after the wick isignited, container 11 may be pushed through the head to the positionshown in FIG. 2 with the lighted end of the container remote from thefingers grasping head 12 for igniting a hard-to-get-at campfire, a gasrange burner, or a pipe, etc.

Cover 19 has a bent-down, longitudinally extending, shorter foot 35, asbest seen in FIG. 3, which abuts the head 12. The head is generallyrectangular having a flat surface 36, indicated in FIG. 3, and anotherflat surface 37 at right angles thereto. An arcuate groove 38 is cut inthe end of the linear corner between surfaces 36 and 37 so that cover 19can only be rotated when the cover has been withdrawn away from head 12.When the cover is returned by spring 31 toward head 12, the cover islocked in position by the foot 35. The other end of cover 19, oppositeto foot 35 is provided with a portion 39 projecting beyond head 12 toserve as a thumbpiece for withdrawing and rotating the cover, as bestseen in FIG. 1. It will be noted that the stop collar 16 in FIG. 1 isspaced from the bottom of well 17 so that, when the container 11 isunscrewed from cap 20, the wick end is withdrawn so as to be oppositethe end of flint 27.

In operation, the lighter being in normal carrying position, shown inFIG. 1, the cover 19 is first withdrawn and rotated, as shown in FIG. 3.The wick 15 is then ignited by turning wheel 25. Container 11 is thenpushed to the position shown in FIG. 2, and the flame utilized.

To return to the carrying mode, the wick is first blown out, or theparts returned to the positions shown in FIG. 1 thus extinguishing theflame, and the container ll rotated to seal the container. It will benoted that removal of screw 28 allows diassembly of all head carriedparts when the container is unscrewed from cap 20 and removal of member13 allows disassembly of the container from the head.

I claim:

1. In a lighter having a tubular container of substantially uniformtransverse diameter, and a head slideable on the container from one endto the other end, the

container having a wick projecting from one end and stop means at eitherend, the head having wick igniting means and including a closure for thewick, the closure being movable from a closed position to an openposition exposing the wick for igniting it, the head being movable whenthe closure is open to a position on the container remote from the wick,the improvement comprising: the closure being internally threaded, andthe tubular container having an externally threaded projection aroundthe wick for threaded engagement within the closure, the closure havingan annular ground seat at its end and the threaded projection having amating ground seat therearound, whereby the container is rotated withrespect to the head when the closure is in closed position to seal thewick end of the container closed.

2. The lighter defined in claim 1 having an internally threaded closurecap, and an L-shaped cover plate having a relatively long leg to whichthe cap is secured and a relatively short locking leg at right anglesthereto, the long plate leg having a pivot tube projecting therefrom,the head having a pivot bore slideably receiving the pivot tube andspring means biasing the long plate leg against the end of the head, thehead having a first flat side surface and a second flat side surface ata right angle thereto, the linear corner between the flat surfaceshaving an arcuate groove at its end adjacent the long plate leg, wherebythe short locking leg being carried abutting one flat surface and, whenthe long plate leg is withdrawn away from the head and rotated, theshort leg is adapted to turn in the groove and, when the long leg isreturned against the head end, the short leg abuts the other flatsurface locking the cover plate in position.

1. In a lighter having a tubular container of substantially uniformtransverse diameter, and a head slideable on the container from one endto the other end, the container having a wick projecting from one endand stop means at either end, the head having wick igniting means andincluding a closure for the wick, the closure being movable from aclosed position to an open position exposing the wick for igniting it,the head being movable when the closure is open to a position on thecontainer remote from the wick, the improvement comprising: the closurebeing internally threaded, and the tubular container having anexternally threaded projection around the wick for threaded engagementwithin the closure, the closure having an annular ground seat at its endand the threaded projection having a mating ground seat therearound,whereby the container is rotated with respect to the head when theclosure is in closed position to seal the wick end of the containerclosed.
 2. The lighter defined in claim 1 having an internally threadedclosure cap, and an L-shaped cover plate having a relatively long leg towhich the cap is secured and a relatively short locking leg at rightangles thereto, the long plate leg having a pivot tube projectingtherefrom, the head having a pivot bore slideably receiving the pivottube and spring means biasing the long plate leg against the end of thehead, the head having a first flat side surface and a second flat sidesurface at a right angle thereto, the linear corner between the flatsurfaces having an arcuate groove at its end adjacent the long plateleg, whereby the short locking leg being carried abutting one flatsurface and, when the long plate leg is withdrawn away from the head androtated, the short leg is adapted to turn in the groove and, when thelong leg is returned against the head end, the short leg abuts the otherflat surface locking the cover plate in position.